Angelica Rosas Mancenido

BSED-ENGLISH 3

Contemporary Literature- Elly Jay (2022)

It is a broad category of writing that covers the interval between one historical
period and the present. This literary age encompasses a period as well as a style and
quality of writing. People believe the 1940s brought in the age of current literature.
Some researchers say this period began after WWII and this literary period
encompasses a range of writing genres in addition to novels and poetry. There is also
slam poetry, dramas, memoirs, and autobiographies. While nonfiction isn't usually
considered literature, this era has some examples of creative nonfiction that uses
literary techniques to convey stories. The current era is realistic with strong
personalities. Futuristic and science fiction novels fall under this category due of their
present settings. Modern literature requires clearly defined, realistic, and completely
formed characters. Most of the work in this area is character-driven rather than plot-
driven. Contemporary literature depicts a tougher reality. The post-war affluence
affected modern literature and this literary genre is a result of war. A new reality arose
in the postwar era, characterized by cynicism, despair, and dissatisfaction.

Issues in Contemporary Literature

Gender Inequality Akhter (2020)

One of the primary concerns of contemporary literature worldwide has been to
expose the plight of oppressed persons, particularly women, their physical and
emotional exploitation, and their mental anguish inside their families through
oppression. Male dominance over a woman's life is a natural occurrence in a patriarchal
society and a woman's subsequent relegation to a secondary position appears to have
inspired women, writers, throughout the world to take up the cause of women. These
writers emphasized women's dual image to free themselves from their traditional roles
and discover their separate identities, rather than sacrificing everything for the sake of
their husbands and children for the sake of their fathers and brothers. Historically,
women have been considered to shoulder major responsibility for their family's well-
being. Nonetheless, she is subjected to systemic discrimination and denied access to
resources like education, health care, and employment.

Ethnicity in Literature
While ethnic references help to distinguish the literature, the definition requires that
the emphasis of attention be on the ethnicity indicated via textual references. Behind
the positive and beneficial effect of ethnic preferences, an obvious threat lurks. When
"naive" readers, who are generally unaware of the functions of literary forms, come
across ethnic literature, they are so taken with the plausibility of the narration that they
misinterpret the literature for life. Native Son or Black Boy, in their imagined
connections to objective truth, become chronicles of Black existence analogous to From
Slavery to Freedom.
Racism in Literature
Racism, a cancer of the uneducated, is a horrifying aspect of society that has reared its
ugly head throughout history and continues to do so in the modern era. Racism
manifests itself in a variety of shapes and forms, and is directed at a diverse range of
cultural groups. Many times, people see racism and are moved to write about it, with the
hope of making a difference and changing society's perceptions regarding racism.

Challenges in Contemporary Literature

Bruce Sterling, a cyberpunk/science fiction author (most famous in my circles for
writing the non-fictional Hacker Crackdown) posted a list titled “Eighteen Challenges in
Contemporary Literature.” (Robohara 2009) Here is Sterling’s list:
1. Literature is language-based and national; contemporary society is globalizing and
polyglot.
2. Vernacular means of everyday communication — cellphones, social networks,
streaming video — are moving into areas where printed text cannot follow.
3. Intellectual property systems failing.
4. Means of book promotion, distribution and retail destabilized.
5. Ink-on-paper manufacturing is an outmoded, toxic industry with steeply rising costs.
6. Core demographic for printed media is aging faster than the general population.
Failure of print and newspapers is disentrancing young apprentice writers.
7. Media conglomerates have poor business model; economically rationalized “culture
industry” is actively hostile to vital aspects of humane culture.
8. Long tail balkanizes audiences, disrupts means of canon-building and fragments
literary reputation.
9. Digital public-domain transforms traditional literary heritage into a huge, cost-free,
portable, searchable database, radically transforming the reader’s relationship to belle-
letters.
10. Contemporary literature not confronting issues of general urgency; dominant best-
sellers are in former niche genres such as fantasies, romances and teen books.
11. Barriers to publication entry have crashed, enabling huge torrent of sub literary
and/or nonliterary textual expression.
12. Algorithms and social media replacing work of editors and publishing houses;
network socially-generated texts replacing individually-authored texts.
13. “Convergence culture” obliterating former distinctions between media; books
becoming one minor aspect of huge tweet/ blog/ comics/ games / soundtrack/
television / cinema / ancillary-merchandise pro-fan franchises.
14. Unstable computer and cellphone interfaces becoming world’s primary means of
cultural access. Compositor systems remake media in their own hybrid creole image.
15. Scholars steeped within the disciplines becoming cross-linked jack-of-all-trades
virtual intelligentsia.
16. Academic education system suffering severe bubble-inflation.
17. Polarizing civil cold war is harmful to intellectual honesty.
18. The Gothic fate of poor slain Poetry is the specter at this dwindling feast.

References:
https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icosaps-20/125949674
https://www.languagehumanities.org/what-is-contemporary-literature.htm
https://www.robohara.com/?p=1500
https://prezi.com/p/8xilvyscbz9u/issues-and-challenges-in-contemporary-literature/